The briefness of life
Life, indeed, is very short. We realized the truth in this adage very recently when two of my husband’s uncles passed away. It was a wake up call of some sort and the reality of our mortality stared at us like a sneering demon.
The Angel of Death took Tito Rene away from us in February, while Tito Mina left just early this month. My husband’s family may not acknowledge it but if truth be said, the passing of these two gentlemen created a dent on the foundation that the family was built upon, somehow.
The Resignation of Malu Fernandez: A lesson and a warning
The diva finally got what she deserved.
I could not resist going back in front of my computer and blogging about Malu Fernandez’s much-awaited resignation. The news was on ABS CBN’s TV Patrol just a few minutes ago and I myself could not believe how my husband and children dug into their tinola with more zest than usual upon hearing about Fernandez’s more subdued apology and resignation. I didn’t realize, until tonight, that my family’s been asking for this as much as I’ve been.
TV Patrol mentioned that there are sectors of the society who are planning to file formal complaints against her. Well, perhaps that is really how the story should end. Personally, a public apology with a resignation letter to boot is not enough to put out the fire that Ms. Fernandez started.
Vandalism sa UP – From Fubar
It’s been a hectic midweek, with all the deadlines some of us need to beat and all the pressures from last week’s scandals, thanks to one columnist, who never seem to tire the cyber population from venting out their rage. Buti nalang may Wika 2007 to divert our attentions.
Now, to really cool things down a notch more, I am reposting this Friendster Bulletin Dear Husband stumbled upon just a few minutes ago. It was posted by dear Sheena, who also reposted it from someone named Fubar. Go look see and have a few laughs to go with that coffee… 
Ako si Pina… At ito ang aking kwento…
Ako si Pina.
Samu’t-saring mukha ang kinakatawan ko, may dukha, mangmang, edukado, mayaman, bata, matanda, malakas at mahina. Samu’t-saring mukha na siyang nagpapakilala sa makabagong babae sa sinasabi nilang makabagong panahon. Magmasid ka sa iyong kapaligiran at makikita mo ako, mararamdaman mo ang aking presensiya at marahil, kung sensitibo ka, mararamdaman mo din ang paghihirap ko.
Who is Malu Fernandez?
I have been reading all the blogs, reactions and comments about Malu Fernandez, the lady who created quite a stir in cyberspace, particularly the blogosphere with her “acerbic humor” and “insensitivity”.
Amidst reading all the (violent) reactions, I can’t help but ask only one question : Who is she? I mean, where did she come from? What is her family background? What schools did she go to? What made her who she is now?
I switched from tab to tab, between google and yahoo, in an attempt to stumble upon any article that might give me the answers but my efforts proved futile.
Perhaps, you are wondering why, when I can just as easily make a comment or blog about her article, present my opinion on the matter and fully exercise my freedom of speech. Well, I have a better reason for doing so.
Love is a decision
When you are in the state of being “in love”, your life becomes blissfully colorful and interesting. You live and breathe for your object of interest and you walk around with a certain bounce and flair. You scribble that one special name on your notes with hearts and arrows all around it and spend sleepless nights dreaming and hoping for sweet moments together, if not reliving them. With the advancement of technology, chances are you even spend hours chatting over instant messenger or send each other SMS with mushy endings like “labyu labyu, mwamwamwahhhh!” in an attempt to convey your overflowing emotions of love and loyalty despite the physical and geographical distance. Of course, flowers, chocolates, teddy bears and whispered sweet nothings become the highlight of your togetherness, you get giddy at the sight and smell of him even if he is “amoy -araw” already and his kind words feed your soul. Everything about him and every single moment you share together are kilig-factors that renew your spirit. And then, in a snap, everything just falls apart, perhaps because he “wasn’t man enough” for you or you woke up one morning and felt you’re dreading the sight and smell of him, in short, you’ve “fallen out of love”. There can be numerous reasons, you know, but the bottom line is, “it just did not work out”. Well, that’s the bottom line for you. When friends and relatives ask about the break up, that’s what you say, and why not? It’s more convenient to use that one liner than to go into details, because as you do, you get lost in a myriad of reasons and finger-pointing (like who really is to blame???). And the recovery process for the injured party becomes extremely difficult, because in truth, you both forgot one thing: to make each other a decision, not an option.
When cool heads prevail
My twelve year old daughter recently joined a school district competition in commemoration of the Buwan ng Wika. We were not prepared for the Creative Writing competition she was literally and figuratively “pushed” to participate in because we were notified only a day before the said competition and Jamie Girl (that’s what we call her) was busy reviewing for her periodical exams. I was in a semi-rage when we received the notice from her school and I was on the verge of making her do a “no-show” just to spite the school administration already. However, I had to take backward steps and reasses the situation. Of course it will ease my daughter’s burden if I will pull her out of the competition, but I had to reevaluate and ask myself if pulling her out of such a commitment is the best of my decision making skills… I mean, what impression will I leave my daughter? And when it is time for her to make decisions for herself, won’t she always take the easier route because that is what her mother did, too? What if the easier route is not the best option for her? Anyway, I’m glad I took those backward steps. Let me show you what my daughter has written for the competition: (read more)
A Taste of Jobim… Brazilian Music at its finest
I love to write, husband cannot live without music plugged into his ears… But I have to admit, he has the best taste in music, just like he does in movies, books and cars among others. I haven’t checked his imeem.com account in ages, and though our little office is set up in such a way where we’re seated side by side, I don’t really try to mess up with him when he is working. Today, out of curiosity, I browsed his imeem account, and here’s one of my best finds…
Me Mother Me
When I became a parent, there were no self-help or DIY books to guide me through the “process”, I merely relied on instincts, love and of course, some insights from my mother-in-law, our ever faithful Ate Tess and my mom.
Siyempre, I’m only human (yeah, yeah, that excuse, huh? Hehe), so I made mistakes along the way, there were times I didn’t notice I was already confusing my children kasi daw minsan overly strict ako, minsan naman hindi. So there were instances when they felt like they were walking on eggs when they’re around me.
Little did they know that I, too, felt the same at times around them. Needless to say, we have a huge age gap (12 years is huge, really!) which really makes it difficult for me to understand certain terminologies like PS, Need For Speed, Game of Life, Memory Card, NBA Cards, Off Season, Momo, headers, torque and such. Well, actually, thinking about it now, I struggled more in trying to bond with my boys because their Dad really has a strong influence on them. There were moments I felt like I was in the middle of a completely alien conversation, lalo na when they talk about cars, car parts and accessories and video games.
Mabuti nalang I had my girls to keep me sane pa rin. Well at least alam ko kung sino si Barbie, Hello Kitty, Ariel, Aurora and Belle.
That was almost 8 years ago.
Today, may college na ako 
, isang magka-college and isang magha-highschool. Syempre, may bulilit pa rin ako who is only three, but you see, looking at my grown-up children now, I realize, ang layo na pala ng narating ko sa larangan ng pagiging isang ina.
Time really flew past and I did not even notice. Now, my daughter shares my shoes and clothes with me na while my boys’ interests are no longer simply confined to video games, cars and NBA seasons.
There were milestones in my life as a mother that I will never forget. The many firsts that had me feeling either blown away or resentful.
Lahi
Madalas, naitatanong ko sa aking sarili kung ano nga ba ako? Sure, alam ko tao ako, pero ang ibig kong sabihin, ano nga ba ang totoong lahi ko beneath my being a Filipina?
Eto kasi yan e… Si Lolo Simeon na ama ni Dad ay isang Bicolano na may lahing Espanyol. Si Lola Solemnidad naman ay isang Kapampangan na may lahi ding Espanyol. So, that makes my father Spanish, Bicolano and Kapampangan.
Ang Lolo ko naman sa aking ina ay isang Italyano at si Lola naman ay isang Waray. So ang aking ina ay isang half-Italian, half-Waray. Now, discounting the foreign blood running through my family tree, that would make me a Filipino of Bicolano, Kapampangan and Waray descent. Okay na sana e, hindi na masyadong nakakalito. Hanggang sa makilala ko ang kabiyak ng aking puso na isang Pangasinense. Only a year within our union, naging fluent na din ako sa salitang Pangasinense (FYI – it is absolutely rude and discriminating to call them or their language “Pangalatok”, it is an insult to them.). There are times I get lost in my own ability to speak a multitude of Filipino languages, aside from my fluency in the English vernacular which I often use since I work as a virtual assistant to a client based in the United States. Madalas, I find myself stopping in mid-sentence kasi nare-realize ko na napaghahalo ko na pala ang mga salita and the people that I talk to are trying so hard to put the words together to understand me. Kagaya noong minsan sa isang party sa amin sa Pampanga, kausap ko ang aking mga pinsan na matagal-tagal ko na din hindi nakita. Nagkakatuwaan kami ng bigla na lamang napansin ko na nakatitig na sila sa akin at almost alll of them had their lower jaws hanging open. I realized I was blabbering in excitement and saying something like : “Nuko, ne, ewari kanita mumunta tamu pa El Tierro mag-ghost hunting tamu nen kiyen say kwan nen Lolo Sim, patche arakap da kayu lawen yu man, idatuk da kayu keng sako!” (translation : Naku hindi ba, noon nagpupunta pa tayo sa El Tierro para mag-ghost hunting tapos sabi ni Lolo Sim, kapag nahuli ko kayo, makikita nyo, ilalagay ko kayo sa sako!).All of it was in Kapampangan, except for the words in bold letters which was in Pangasinense. Apparently, I accidentaly injected a different language into my sentence causing a bit of confusion to my audience. It was really embarrassing, but it is even more embarrassing because this didn’t happen only once, it happens all the time!
